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Giulio Caccini

(c.1550 - 1618)

Italian composer working in Florence, and one of the most important pioneers of the new monody. Indeed, Caccini boasts of having invented the genre himself, although there are some examples prior to his publications entitled "Nuove Musiche" in 1602 and 1614. The new monodic style involved a virtuoso high voice with written-out ornaments, accompanied by simple chordal bass. This new separation in function was of course integral to the subsequent development of Baroque music as a whole.

Although one cannot give Caccini the full credit he thought he deserved, his importance can hardly be over-stated. He is featured prominently in any historical anthology of song forms which includes the 17th century. ~ Todd McComb (8/97)